Oops
by Color With Marker
Summary: There's awkward ways of meeting someone, then there's meeting them right after they step out of the shower.


Tony alternated between walking and skipping as he headed back to his dorm. Every step, though, was to the beat of the David Bowie song playing in his headphones. Today was his day. No one else's. The second of September no longer belonged to anyone else.

Rhodey was finally moving onto the campus, after over a year of not seeing him, and Tony had big plans for how they were spending the night. Huge. So big that he had spent all night working on it with Pepper, and organizing each event and moment on index cards.

Tony reached his dorm, he turned his head to pull his key card out from his messenger bag. He had also caught a whiff of his body odor. Shit. He should probably shower real quick. He can't smell like a locker room for his platypus. Or for Pepper. Or any potential fans lingering around who wanted to meet a son of a billionaire up close. Who knows where the evening would go between the restaurant, the club, and the late-night ice cream.

He locked his dorm behind him, laid out the outfit of choice for the evening, took off his street clothes in favor for the Playboy robe that Sharon got him as a joke that he used anyway, grabbed his shower caddy, and headed towards the attached bathroom.

He paused momentarily to look at the empty bed next to his messy one. He supposedly had a roommate who was supposedly showing up sometime before classes started next week, but he hadn't seen hair nor hide of the mystery bunkmate, or heard a single word from them. He wondered if the guy was every going to show up.

Oh well. He can show up tomorrow for all Tony cared, because today was his day, and his day to be the ultimate trio with Rhodey and Pepper again.

* * *

Steve paid the cab driver and thanked him for the ride to his school. He had missed the move-in date because he was still working as a camp counselor at home and didn't have time until that date to even prepare for returning to school. After all, his textbooks weren't going to buy themselves.

With his one suitcase, a duffel bag, and two trash bags filled with his belongings, and brown envelope with his school needs including his dorm keys, Steve trudged his way to his dorm building. By the time he made it in there, he'd built up a decent sweat in the unforgiving September sun, especially since he was using all of his arm strength to carry his things and not accidentally ripping his trash bags. Fortunately, someone saw his struggle and helped him up the stairs to the second floor of his building. He let himself in, and by some miracle, managed to get everything into his room in one trip. He dumped it all in front and on top of the unoccupied bed. He noted that the other one was very unkempt, giving him an idea of what kind of roommate he should expect for at least the next three months.

Damn, he was out of shape. He should hit the gym, except he was too tired to think of exercise. What he really needed to do was wash off this sweat and stench, text his friends to meet with them, and get a smoothie. Oh, the things he would do for a smoothie from the campus food court right now.

Steve unpacked his things enough to get a towel, soap, shampoo, and a change of clothes, and before wondering where the dorm bathroom was, saw the door in the wall. He had his own bathroom this year? How luxurious. Well, better than waiting for the other boys to get out of the other four stalls they had last year (which was nowhere near enough for ten boys, it turned out, when they apparently all wanted to shower at the same time). He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

He was quickly greeted by a bare shoulder that was being covered in soft red. As red as he was sure his face was when he realized that he had, without thinking or even considering the idea of walking in on his roommate also in the bathroom.

He squeaked out a sorry and slammed the door shut.

* * *

Tony hadn't even noticed that someone had come in. He was too busy trying himself off with his new towel to hear his new roommate come in. He jumped at the door opening and closing with a "sorry!" that followed a squeak of surprise. He was so grateful that he was already clothed in his robe, but holy shit, if he hadn't been…

He took a moment to relax himself, gathered his things, and then opened the bathroom door. His new roommate was sitting on the bed, staring at the floor with red ears. Tony almost felt bad for the guy, except it was his own decency at stake.

He inhaled through his nose, held out his right hand, and said, "I'm Tony."

The other guy looked mortified still, but reciprocated that handshake. "Steve."

"Cool. Uh, so, that was just a misunderstanding, right? Like, you weren't trying to get a good look at anything?"

"What? Oh, god, no! I would never do that to someone! I didn't even think that someone was in there," Steve explained, waving his hands frantically.

Tony grabbed Steve's wrist and stilled them. "Okay! Just calm down." He let go of Steve, whose wrists dropped onto his lap. "We can just pretend this never happened. You didn't see anything important. I didn't reveal anything important. This is just a fluke. But now we know to knock first."

Steve nodded. Then his face scrunched up. "Wait, you wouldn't intentionally…?"

Steve fell back as a pillow hit his face. That was how he'd met his junior year roommate.


End file.
